An all-Island board of health meeting was held on Friday to decide on whether to lift the COVID-19 indoor mask mandates on Martha’s Vineyard. In a unanimous decision, the boards approved keeping the mask mandates in place until January, and reassessing at that time.
Gerald Green, an Aquinnah board of health member, said Aquinnah already decided to keep the town’s mask mandates in place. Chilmark board of health member Matt Poole said his town also decided to keep its mask mandate. Neither town’s board had a quorum for this meeting.
Two guest speakers were present for the meeting: Dr. Michael Stoto, an epidemiologist and professor at Georgetown University, and Dr. Henry Neider, who practices family medicine in Oak Bluffs. Edgartown board of health chair Meegan M. Lancaster said both doctors have been working closely with the Island.
Stoto listed three main reasons to consider dropping the mask mandates on Martha’s Vineyard: the current lower transmission rate, reduced number of large crowds and unvaccinated foreign workers from the summer, and the high number of the vaccinated and increasing number of people eligible for vaccines and booster shots.
For each reason, Stoto brought up a counterpoint. Transmission rates are as low as they are because of the mask mandates. Additionally, while the large summer crowds are gone and foreign summer workers went home, many more people will be coming to the Island during the upcoming holidays. Finally, vaccination is not universal yet. He said this is especially so among children, who are just beginning to get vaccinated starting next week.
“When you take that into account, and if the goals are to balance getting back to normal with safety and also concurring vaccination, I think the proposal would be to keep the mandates in place now, with exceptions for places that have vaccine mandates,” Stoto said. “And then reconsider in January, about the time when the schools are reconsidering their masking policy.”
Stoto said “some triggers” should be put in place now so there is an idea of when it would be the right time to reconsider masking requirements.
Neider was in agreement with Stoto’s assessment. He added that the U.S. and other countries have patterns when an illness had very few cases and then surged.
“Some people think this is inevitable,” Neider said. “I would like to say maybe it’s not. Maybe by keeping our cases really low, by increasing our vaccination rate at the same time by vaccinating kids, and by using masks, maybe come January we will see eight or 10 or 12 weeks of low caseloads, and I think that will give us the evidence we might want to reduce our mask mandates.”
The boards also took public comments before taking their vote.
A couple of the participants expressed frustrations over the mask mandates. Bill Roman, club manager at the Edgartown Yacht Club, said many other businesses do not adhere to the mask mandates when his club does. Meanwhile, another participant said he found the mask mandates to be “rather big brother.”
Most of the commenters were in favor of keeping the mask mandates in place. Many expressed concern for those not yet vaccinated, or for the children.
“There are thousands of kids on this Island between the ages of 5 and 11 who are now eligible, and it will take weeks just to get through them all, and there are three weeks in between doses,” Oak Bluffs library director Allyson Malik, who has a 5-year-old child eligible for the vaccine, said. “I mean, we’re up into the holidays before most of these kids can get fully vaccinated, if they even sign up on time … masks are a big part of moving forward.”
Lyndsay Famariss of the Edgartown Council on Aging said masks have been a great help for elderly community members to continue participating in their programs.
Ebba Hierta, director of the Chilmark library, pointed out that Nantucket dropped its mask mandates a couple of weeks ago, and is seeing an increase in COVID cases, according to a report in the Inquirer & Mirror.
Nieder acknowledged that masks are an uncomfortable piece of clothing to wear, but that is also why it is important to keep the mandates for now. Otherwise, many people will stop wearing them, and progress against COVID will be hindered.
Stoto reminded the meeting that masks are in place more to protect the community, rather than the wearer. Stoto said, according to the Centers for Disease Control, a community of 20,000 is at moderate COVID risk if there are 10 cases per week. The Island would have to see 10 cases per week or fewer for more than a couple of weeks to be sure the situation is stable enough to drop the mask requirements.
“We don’t want to jump the gun,” Oak Bluffs board of health member Tom Zinno said, also pointing to how more people will be staying indoors during the colder months. “Hopefully we can get rid of this mask mandate in the near future.”
While cases have been relatively low, Tisbury health agent Maura Valley showed a line graph that indicated a few variations where cases went beyond the 10-case threshold this fall.
The mask mandates will be kept in place, and the number of cases per week will be tracked into January. The next meeting on masks is scheduled for Jan. 13.
I imagine this decision will not be a popular one, with some, but I support it and feel it is the smart move at this time. A couple of more months of a mask mandate is not a big deal.
The classic “a couple more months”. How much longer does this have to go on? COVID cases are at an all time low because of vaccinations not masks. The virus has ran its course and will continue to do so since the vaccine DOES NOT stop you from getting it. It only keeps you out of the hospital. Absolutely ridiculous that the rest of the state is getting on with normal life yet we are stuck with a few people deciding what I get to do with my body.
Drew McLean – Maybe you now have a little clue about what it’s like to have a uterus.
Any woman should be free to do with her body as she chooses and any man should be able to choose as well.
As for me, I cannot comprehend how a few incredibly biased people get to decide what is best for an entire population. Completely and utter resistance is what they will face. As mentioned by Mr. Axel, what started out as a good intention has now become an exercise of power that will lose steam.
I for one was all for mask mandates before vaccinations. Now that vaccines are abundant and cases are nil it is absolutely ridiculous to have a mask mandate in place.
Also quite unbelievable anyone on here saying, “I went to dinner and felt safe because people were wearing masks”
Oh because Covid can differentiate when I’m walking to my table (wearing a mask) but once I’m seated and take my mask off COVID can’t get me.
Enough is enough with this charade.
The vaccine does does not kill this virus, it makes the human an incompatible host. But . . . a human can still breathe in virus and breathe it out on others. A mask prevents that, same reason a surgeon wears a mask in an operating room.
Drew, in a democracy we elect/appoint people to make the rules for all of us.
If you want to make the rules win an election.
Otherwise just keep pounding your keyboard, to make the Right things happen.
When I go into an operating room I feel safer if everyone is masked.
I feel the same way about the Ritz.
How can Dr. Stoto make the assumption that ” transmission rates are as low as they are because of the mask mandates” ? In the absence of a control group no scientist could make that assumption. Also why are the percentage of cases being based on our year round population when we all know there’s a heck of a lot of people staying here in September and October more than our regular population. And we’re not wearing masks for our protection but for the health of others? HUH? If that’s our mandate then when we see someone eating ice cream or french fries or smoking a cigarette or drinking whiskey are we obligated to knock it out of their hands? It’s all nonsense.
John– we have a control group– It’s called “Texas”
People in Texas are very resistant to mask wearing, and their governor is making up laws to discourage people from wearing masks or getting vaccinated.
In Ma. we have a governor who encourages people to wear masks and get vaccinated.
So let’s look at the numbers–
Tx has a population of 29 million
Ma. Has a population of 7 million
So rounding here on all numbers to make it easy to understand,
Tx has about 4 x the population of Ma.
on Nov 4 2021;
The 7 day moving average for deaths in Tx was 111
The 7 day moving average for deaths in Ma. was 12
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/usa/massachusetts/
So, John, it doesn’t take a mathematical genius to see that the control group without the masks are dying at at a rate more than double the rate of the control group with the masks. (12×4) / 111 = 2.3)
And let me also point out that the vineyard has not had a single death from covid.
Let me get away from hard statistics and facts,– I will opine here that the mask mandates and high vaccination rates on the vineyard MAY have had something to do with that.
I do not think you can convince me that if someone eats 5 pounds of French fries and a gallon of ice cream every day, that that could affect my health.
Could I convince you that if someone who is infected with what is arguably the most highly contagious lethal disease that civilization has seen in the last 800 years sneezes in my face that it might affect my health ?
I do respect you in that sometimes you actually make valid points, like your observation about the number of people on the island.
Having said that, it is my opinion that most of your comment is nonsense.
Let’s have a real debate, please.
Current cases per 100,000
Massachusetts = 19
Florida* = 7
* Florida has the lowest covid rates per 100,000 in the country.
Mask mandates are working wonders.
There is no mask mandate in Massachusetts. There hasn’t been for months. Low Covid #’s have nothing to do with mask mandates and everything to do with high vaccination rates, not to mention 1.5 years’ worth of natural immunity building up in the community. People are not following the science: the variants are marginally more communicable but less and less severe. As they did in Norway, it’s time for us to relegate COVID-19 to what it is: a nasty cold or flu. No more, certainly no less. Time to put this thing to rest.
I agree 100% with you George. Also, everyone preaches MASK, MASK, MASK.
Not a single person has said, hey get out and exercise or hey let’s try and be a healthier America. Since the virus has an incredibly high survival rate for those who are in good health. Quite comical that natural immunity (which is better) has taken a back seat to vaccinations.
I support masks but caution. Safe to say Florida has the lowest *reported* Covid rate in the country?
Robert– I am not a conspiracy theorist, but something is wrong with the way Florida is reporting cases and deaths.
First, I will stick with deaths, as Andy and other covid deniers have stated many times before, cases don’t matter because some places test more people than others. In fact, Ma has administered nearly 3 x the tests per capita than Fl. Recently, that ratio has increased dramatically. Death statistics are all that matter, they say. I am not going to let them have it both ways, depending on which numbers look best at the moment to fit their narrative .
So Florida hit it’s peak of deaths on aug 28 2021 with 420 reported deaths. That’s when gov. Decovid announced that Florida would change the way it reported deaths. For no reason that can be justified through science or statistics, the death rate began a rapid decline.
https://www.orlandoweekly.com/orlando/florida-gov-ron-desantis-is-cooking-the-books-on-our-covid-numbers/Content?oid=29913288
Even with that obvious ploy, Florida is still running at more than double the deaths per capita . I stand by my numbers.
You realize TX is on a border that is currently open? Where hundreds of thousands of unscreened, unvaccinated dreamers have poured in since Harris became border czar? I voted for her to be first female VP, not a border czar. It’s so belittling, but obviously it’s because she’s a woman. And don’t misconstrue me, the border obviously SHOULD be open, but seriously, we have a vax mandate for Americans but not for dreamers? Where’s the compassion? It stuns me that no one is offering them the medical attention and the right to vaccination. They came here for a better life. Vax is a part of that dream. Help them out. Anyway, TX is a horrible example. And BTW Charlie Baker ended the state mask mandate a few months ago and cases have been going down since. I got vaxxed so I could enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of HAPPINESS. Stop telling us we don’t have a right to our happiness and even certain conveniences that bring it — we do. We met our vax and low case targets here in MA. Time to stop moving the goalposts. And for crying out loud, think of these poor kids who have to wear them all day at school. It’s awful. They’re so unhappy. Show a little compassion, and respect too.
So much nonsense to unpack here. But I’ll start with some actual FACTS. 1. The border is not open. 2. Hundreds of thousands of “dreamers” have not poured into the country. Dreamers are undocumented individuals who were brought here as infants and have lived their entire lives here. Despite Baker lifting the state mask mandate, individual communities have continued to implement them. I honestly have never witnessed a bunch of more pathetic cry babies as I’ve seen whining about a piece of cloth over their face. The kids could not care less. They’re used to it and They’re fine. Its the Grown men throwing tantrums and screaming “freedom”. Honestly. Its embarrassing to watch.
US Covid deaths last week – 8540
MA Covid deaths last week – 77
Covid is not over.
My nephew goes to a religious school.
They have have a full mask mandate.
No parents have pulled their kids out.
The only kids I know that think that masks are awful are kids with parents who think that masks are awful.
Most kids tend to think that underpants are awful, why would anyone want to cover their body’s orifices?
It was a completely biased meeting, almost cult like, no opposing views or facts were welcomed or discussed, the mask mandate narrative was in full force and there was no intention what so ever to ever lifting it. That was never on the table. No other expert opinions, only the ones that agreed with them. Now we’ve shifted to masking through the holidays, too dangerous, then it will be spring break, then it will be summer tourists, they have no intention of letting up with the masks regardless. We have open borders, illegals being transported and released all through your our country, no testing or Covid vaccination requirement, yet you have to wear a mask to shop in a store or go to a gym or restaurant on MV.
Tracy– you were doing ok until you got to the fox fear train’s racist rants and lies about the border and unvaccinated immigrants.
Regardless of what you watch or don’t watch, the immigration crisis at the border is factual and they are flooding through our borders thanks to this administration and they are purposely being redistributed all throughout our country without Covid testing or vaccine requirements yet our own citizens are being fired from their jobs for not complying to get vaccinated. The rules are different for illegal immigrants coming into our country vs the US citizens that legally live here, why is that? Speaking of racist ranting, I could make similar comments about MSNBC, CNN, easily. Let’s stick with the facts, the border is out of control on every level and that will have dire consequences for our country from crime, Covid, human trafficking, drugs, etc.
Tracy.. According to the department of homeland security ,
“The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said that “100% of noncitizens” are tested for COVID-19 “at some point during their immigration journey,” and that this testing is performed by a mix of federal agencies, local governments and non-governmental organizations.”
https://www.statesman.com/story/news/politics/politifact/2021/08/17/biden-administration-not-even-testing-migrants-released-u-s/8116347002/
Your claim is false….
Any immigrant that request a vaccination while in detention centers , or at anytime during the immigration process can get one. They, like Americans , are not required to get one. https://www.abc10.com/article/news/verify/immigration/no-vaccine-mandate-immigration-detention-facilities-migrant-undocumented-workers-do-not-compel-vaccination/536-d1f56fcf-230c-4183-83e5-cc86c621fe95
Do a little research before you believe the lies.
Don, do you honestly think ANYONE trusts this administrations Homeland Security stats on anything ???? If I’m doing my research, it will NOT be through anything this administration says or what mainstream media says!!! Post all of the links you want…means little because what’s really going on will not be in your links you find. Thanks.
Don, do a little research before you believe this administration and the mainstream media.
Tracy, this is happening because people like you, who know what the right thing to do is, refuse to do the patriotic thing and stand for elected office.
The control group is on Island, but no one wants to admit it. There are so many people and places that shirk the mask mandate. It’s been that way for awhile. People got tired of it long ago. We’ve been fine. Maybe it’s time to dissolve the local boards of health, get some new faces in there. Who schedules town meetings during business hours during the work week? Raises questions about whether they wanted any public input in the first place.
“new faces”?
When will Jake stand for election to a Board of Health?
Is it too time consuming?
Too boring?
No idea what a Board of Health does?
The Board of Health members are dissolved at the end of their terms.
When you get elected to a Board of Health you can participate in setting meeting times.
It looks like the ‘Mask Mandate” meeting was not important enough to you to take a couple of hours off from work.
You had your opportunity for input.
Input didn’t matter at this meeting. BOH brought in two doctors who preached the narrative that cases will automatically rise during the holidays. It would have been nice to hear the counter view from a doctor with the same set of credentials. Once again we have been in the moderate rate of transmission for a total of 4 weeks since the last week of September, which accounts for only 3% of the country. The mask mandate made sense during the Delta surge in August. It’s been over for weeks. We will never get to zero cases.
I have noticed a few places that are ignoring the mask mandate.
I think wearing a mask is the patriotic thing to do. I am sure it helps, but the boards of health are running the risk of undermining the communities’ faith in their decisions.
If they keep the mandate in effect for too long, more people will start ignoring it ( there seems to be no enforcement clause) They will rationalize their decision by thinking that the health departments are overstepping their authority, and/or should not be taken seriously. They will carry that mistrust into the next health crisis.
Take Dr. Fauci, one of the most dedicated public servants this country has ever had, for example. If you talk to covid deniers, he is the devil incarnate — he advised them to do something they thought was unnecessary and in doing so drew their wrath. In their minds, he alone is reason enough to not get vaccinated.
Don’t get me wrong here, I will reiterate that I think everyone should wear a mask while indoors in public spaces– that’s just common sense. I am just urging a bit of caution by the health agents to not encourage pushback. They should not underestimate the anger or the stupidity of a significant portion of our community.
Don, you’ve done a very good job articulating why the left lost Virginia, will most likely lose big in the midterm elections, and stands‘s a 5 to 1 chance of losing the White House to Trump again in 2024. When good intentions get out of hand and alienate the sensible middle, i.e. people of good faith and reasonable thought who say “whoa, this is just a little too much even for me to take“, it allows the the right to have their day. When people with good hearts and a sense of justice and fairness are told they need to the “reeducated” about the sins of the past by people who they may not feel are qualified to cobble together the curriculum, are told they are being hateful for affirming that X and Y chromosomes are scientific and biological reality, and other overreaching and overbearing progressive gestures, it leads to frustration and alienation with people either sitting out elections or going over to the other side where things seem just a little more rational. Not to the extreme right where you have climate change denial, election hoax propagation, anti scientific reasoning, etc., but away from the increasingly strident and befuddled left. Constantly moving Covid goal posts and mixed messaging about public health measures will result in people saying “enough already, I’ll make up my own decisions about safety, thank you very much“.
For those who paid attention to Covid messaging from the beginning, the goalposts haven’t moved much at all. A population better at listening would have managed better; they would’ve masked, distanced, and vaccinated without argument.
Alex Keane you have a most sensible posting but the usual suspects namely Keller and Jackie will villify you if you keep making sense.
Thank you, Andrew. I can take it. I’m willing to share my ideas with as much clarity as I can and let the chips fall where they may. I’m not going to hold back because I’m afraid that it’ll set off an irrational person. Of the two names you mention, one shows a degree of maturity. Even if I don’t agree with them all of the time, they make an effort to present their thoughts with reason and some emotional stability.
So glad you two boys have found each other, Alex and ENGELMAN, but giving me all this rent-free real estate inside your head so you could be partners-in-whining really wasn’t necessary, lol.
Speaking of immaturity, I have young grandchildren who whine and get impatient with reality, too, forever asking on long car rides, “how much longer until we get there”? Imagine if Islanders had to make actual sacrifices for the good of all, like food or gasoline rationing. What would crybabies do then? Mask wearing is a minimally uncomfortable sacrifice and it is helpful in preventing covid spread. Better it goes on a little longer than necessary than not long enough. While our kids are getting immunized and sane adults are getting boosted, this is not the time to give in to the tantrums of self-absorbed babies.
Andy– I don’t vilify people for making sense. I do however point out when they are factually incorrect, or when they go into unprovable or debunked theories about all that they think is wrong with the country. I often back my opinions up with verifiable facts from legitimate sources. I, for example, will believe NOAA and the CDC over Billy in his mom’s basement.
I may also occasionally mock someone for their unrepentant arrogance, hubris and complete disregard for reality. A good example of that was when someone on this forum , at the beginning of the pandemic emphatically stated that the U.S would not even get close to 1 thousand deaths from covid, publicly offered a wager and refused to pay the loss when proven wrong.
If that was not enough to leave this person open to mockery and ridicule, that same person now claims that the pandemic is over while the U.S loses an average 1,200 people a day to covid.
That is not vilifying a person, Andy, that is stating facts. Yes– accuse me of mockery if you want , but not vilification.
Vilifying someone is when you state that someone thinks or acts in a way or manner that they do not to discredit them and/or their opinions.
Your comment to Alex about Myself and Jackie is a perfect example of vilification.
Alex, you speak for the “sensible middle” and say that America’s sins are past, as though there are none in the present. You speak of Americans affirming a “plain truth” about X and Y chromosomes, as if those Americans have any idea what a chromosome is, or as if intersex people do not exist, never mind trans. You might have had moderate opinions a generation ago, but you are deceiving yourself if you think you are not in good company with the antivaxxers, the election hoaxers, and the climate science deniers. On the other hand, I’ll give you credit where it’s due: the democrats *are* going to get creamed in the midterms. It’s too bad. But it’s not because of culture war positions, it is because the party has weak leaders.
Hi Alexis,
I’m going to try to explain over-reach with no other agenda other than creating respectful understanding. I see the left losing races unnecessarily because of an absurd and correctable error. If a person comes up to me and says “I am transgender and I deserve compassion, respect and equality,” I am 150% in support of them. If the same person says “I am transgender and you need to regard me as much of a woman as your mother even though I was born a biological male, and if you refuse to acknowledge and affirm this you’re transphobic and oppressive,” they’ve lost me. You’re telling me that by holding this point of view I’m firmly in the camp of the anti-vaxxers, climate change deniers and election hoax peddlers speaks volumes about your version of logic, one I politely decline to endorse. This may shock you but I am vaccinated, do not want Trump to be president in 2024, and am in favor of sensible public health precautions. I also am in favor of same-sex marriage and transgender rights. It’s the fringe left over-reach that I choose to reject, yet it seems to be hijacking the national conversation and tipping elections to the right, where dangerous lunatics are gaining traction.
And Jackie, if you live rent free in my head, I assure you it’s in a cardboard box in a dingy alley.
Totally agree Alex, another problem here is, we have a diverse community that has no choice but to be managed by a biased group of individuals that are not so diverse. That’s problematic. We’ve gotten to the point where our local health officials are basically saying, shut up and comply, we follow versions of the science that we want, we know what’s better for you and we will enforce whatever we want based on our reasoning. There will be no dialogue that goes against or challenges what we say/ think. If the tables were turned, I don’t think this kind of rational would be tolerated.
Tracy, “managed by a biased group of individuals that are not so diverse.” That biased group of individuals was elected by “a diverse community”.
When will Tracy stand for for Board of Health?
Too busy?
Public Health is just too hard to understand?
Too boring?
You can’t always get your way?
You will lose friends due to your political positions?
When it comes to covid, we are not a diverse community. There are 2 groups only. One thinks about protecting others as well as themselves and the other whines and carries on about their self-absorbed, personal freedumbs. It’s very simple to see in every comment.
Tracy, health officials have been asking everyone to think of others as well as themselves when it comes to covid precautions. There is no dialogue with lies. Antivaxers and anti maskers have no case because it is not based on reality, but rather on insane and, most importantly, untrue conspiracies.
Bringing Anthony Fauci into the discussion is highly problematic and personally very triggering. Please do not compare our lovely BoH to that monster who tortured dogs and experimented on AIDS orphans. It was befitting that 45 worked with such a villain, but it pains me to see my President still working with this man after his awful crimes have been exposed to the mainstream. It just shows the ignorance of some people who would rather listen to a single authority than actually question it. We need to do better than to lift up such a homophobic person (please learn more about what he did and said during the AIDS epidemic), let alone someone so unethical and downright problematic, and it is not at all acceptable to compare our local heroes on the BoH to him!
Kara– I did not in any way compare our board of health to anyone.
Rarely , if ever have I asked for an apology on this forum, but in this case you so grossly misrepresented what I said that I think I deserve one.
I used Fauci as an example of how a dedicated public servant could be vilified by people who are upset with his advice or decisions. If anything , I was complementary to the BOH.
Given how you twisted and interpreted my cautionary advice to the BOH , it’s not surprising that you can take a lifetime of public service from Fauci , and with a few grains of truth twist and misrepresent what he has said and done and turn him into a “monster”.
And not to get off topic, but I googled “Fauci” with references to the aids epidemic, his support of and from the gay community, his thoughts on the aids pandemic, and various other key words 12 different ways.
I got thousands of results praising him for his handling of it all.
He even had the nerve to praise the LGBT communities’ “incredible courage and dignity and strength and activism” while on the same podium with then V.P Mike Pence– Arguably the most homophobic person to ever hold that high of an office.
If you wish to dispel some of the ignorance surrounding the man, please learn more about what he did and said during the AIDS epidemic.
From Florida to Falmouth life is quite healthy without mask mandates.
It’s ridiculous for the Boards of Health to presume mv is so much different in transmission rates relative to everywhere else especially for the reasons given.
I think this Island is different from Florida and even Falmouth. It has faced this pandemic with resolve. Every death counts and we make sacrifices Florida wouldn’t even consider and Falmouth can’t quite.
This is a close knit community and the hassle of wearing a mask (and really the recognition that we aren’t done yet protecting our most vulnerable) is a small price to pay for actually living up to our very high standards of community.
The measures to protect others ask little of us. We celebrate our good fortune for living here. And we smile at the inconvenience and discomfort of a mask when we consider who we are protecting in our community.
You and I are both here by good fortune others could only dream of. You inherited all of your property and I married into a family that had a single modest house
My wife led the meeting, listened to all points of view with respect, from doctors to business people. It was fairly unanimous based on the opinions of those much more expert than you or me.
We count every untimely and unnecessary passing here as worth everything. As if it were our own grandmother, or ill family member.
I’m sorry masks are so inconvenient to you that you won’t join in. We set the standard here for others to follow.
Rich — Dukes and Nantucket counties are the only 2 counties in Ma that have recorded zero covid deaths over the entire pandemic. Both counties have the highest vax rates in the state at 91% .Nantucket only recently lifted it’s mask mandate.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/massachusetts-covid-cases.html
The least number of deaths in a county in Florida is liberty county with 23 deaths, — 275 per 100 thousand. They don’t wear masks there, and the vaccination rate is at 32 %
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/florida-covid-cases.html
The numbers speak for themselves,
Vaccines and masks work.
While I am sick and tired of wearing a mask I am glad they are keeping mask mandate in place through the holidays. I work retail and am willing to be inconvenienced for a bit longer to help keep the COVID numbers down. Better safe than sorry and if 2 more months of masks increased the chances of a mask free 2022 lets just do it.
The reality is that we are going to need to learn to coexist with Covid because a coronavirus is like the common cold or flu, it mutates and keep circulating around. Waiting for that msgic day where there are zero cases is going to be like waiting for Godot.
I feel so much better . I can walk into a restaurant w my mask on, sit down with 100 other patrons and not wear it again. The COVID obviously knows not to attack once we sit down. I’m glad my server is wearing on because the “Charly brown teacher” talk always amuses my while I try to figure what they are saying
Which is why I won’t sit in a restaurant. Take out for a while longer. I prefer to err on the side of caution.
Yes, we are all tired of wearing masks, but besides protecting us and others from the Covid virus, it’s been really great this past year and a half not having the common cold, or numerous flu cases! I would think people should take these benefits to heart, and keep a mask handy not only to protect them from Covid, but these other “germs “ as well. It’s nice not being sick!!!!
I’m NOT the restaurant owner, just share the same name.
I was on the zoom call and agree with the comments that it was very one sided. There are other doctors and health experts with the same background as Dr Stoto that share a different narrative when looking at the same MV data. Both doctors who spoke tried to downplay both the MV vaccinations numbers and total covid cases. Dr Stoto said multiple times that when we get to the moderate rate level according to the CDC we will have a chance to re-evaluate the mandate. This number is only 10 cases per week. The moderate rate currently accounts for around 3% of the entire country. MV was in the moderate rate for the last week of September and first week of October. We also returned to the moderate rate this week since we had 12 cases last week but only 3 cases so far this week with one day remaining. It’s pretty clear that even with these low numbers, there likely will not be any re-evaluating taking place until January.
There was also talk by the doctors about how our reported vaccination rate is closer to 70% than the reported 90% due to the fact that there are more people living on the island full time than reported in the last census. My counter question to that is how can the doctors assume that all of the people not accounted for in the census are unvaccinated? There needs to be some accountability for arbitrary numbers being changed for the greater good of a narrative.
12pm meeting on a fri? i was working, like most people stuck in the lower hells of the capitalist rat race labyrinth. i think we can safely assume that they didn’t want “us” there to have a say. they just looove seeing us wearing muzzles as we serve them. they don’t want to jeopardize the joy they get from watching us obey by — gawd forbid — scheduling a democratic town meeting at a sane time that actual working people can make without having to give up the precious income it takes to KEEP A LEAKING ROOF OVER YOUR HEAD. 12pm on a fri, lol. smdh. this just goes to show the perverse systemic issues belying mv institutional power. btw, we didn’t have a mask mandate here for several months and cases never spiked. i wore my mask to work anyway for awhile so did a few others, but eventually i realized with a little research and experience what likely these cloistered bourgeoisie bureaucrats are too afraid, and too privileged, to experience for themselves: masks don’t matter. take it from us proles who make your food and clean up after you. but you know what does matter? racism and capitalist power plays do. we see you! *be*better*
Well, at least we know your caps key does work—- when you use it.
Amy, when you get elected to the the Board of Health you can vote on the the meeting times.
Until then just keep pounding your keyboard.
Show off the power of the all caps key.
Pitiful. You people are so ‘special’
Comments are closed.